


Hurricane Renegade

by SinnohRemaker



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Abusive Parents, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Anxiety, Child Abuse, Depression, Drug Abuse, Drug Addiction, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, I worked so hard on it, Major Original Character(s), Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Minor Character Death, Near Death Experiences, Original Character(s), Panic Attacks, Physical Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, Violence, criminal activity, please read this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2019-02-11 03:42:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12926616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SinnohRemaker/pseuds/SinnohRemaker
Summary: Meliora Alcott lives her life in a constant state of anxiousness. She fears every possible thing that could go wrong, and her over analysis severely impacts the quality of her life. She tries to be cautious, but when fate takes a hand, things take a turn for the worse.





	Hurricane Renegade

Rain heavy clouds swirled in the air as the sun peaked over the horizon, casting its light over the quiet and still town of Malie City, rousing its citizens from their slumber. The morning air was heavy with the scent of rotting leaves, the musty, still atmosphere only disturbed by the occasional breeze, causing an autumn chill to settle over the sleepy town. The sun rose higher still, its brightness tinging the dawn hues of purple and indigo into a bright and cheery cyan, only obscured partially by the drifting storm clouds. As the people of the city began to head to their places of education or employment, the quiet streets began to come alive, bustling with activity. Among the people hurrying along in order attend to their responsibilities and obligations was a disheveled, frumpy teenage girl, bursting out of her house in a panicked rush. Her backpack was hanging off of one shoulder, the zipper open, her possessions on the verge of spilling onto the ground. She sprinted across her dew soaked lawn, her feet kicking up blades of grass as she ran. She turned the corner, onto a new block, and kept going until her house was out of sight. As soon as it was, she slowed down, and breathed a sigh of relief. She paused, sitting down on the curb in order to catch her breath and get her bearings. She checked her backpack to see if any of the contents within had flown out, and once she was certain everything was still there, she zipped it shut.

She attempted to remedy her unkempt appearance, pushing her tangled hair out of her eyes, adjusting her baggy sweatshirt, zipping her fly, and tying her shoelaces. Once she had adequately tidied herself up, she stood, and began heading slowly towards her destination. She dragged her feet as she meandered along, eyes focused squarely on the pavement, trying not to make eye contact with any of the other pedestrians. Despite her efforts to clean her self up, she still felt as though she looked drab, and slovenly, and every side eyed glance from strangers and acquaintances alike cut through her like glass. She wished she'd had more time to get dressed and gather her belongings, but considering what she intended to do that day, she decided it was safer to get out of the house as soon as possible in order to prevent any suspicion from her parents. Due to her hurry, she had picked out her outfit rather haphazardly, and was now donning a heavy woolen sweatshirt matched with a summery pair of jean shorts. Thanks to her poorly coordinated outfit, she felt as if her arms and torso were uncomfortably warm, and her legs were left susceptible to the frigid autumn air, the chilly wind pricking at her bare skin. Her messy hair made her the most uneasy, as it hung around her face in matted clumps weighing down on both her body, and her conscience. She leaned her head downwards, shame burning behind her cheeks against the cold air. 

She looked positively unsightly. Her scruffy brown hair clung to her neck like a thorn bush, its texture having transformed from feathers to bristles overnight, with strands of it sticking up all over the place. She didn't have enough time to brush her hair, and she hadn't thought to grab a hair tie before she scurried out the door, so there was no way for her to pin it out of her face. She pulled at the knotted tufts of grubby, snarled hair that surrounded her face, trying desperately to look somewhat presentable, although she knew it was a fruitless endeavor. While she was preoccupied in fretting over her appearance, a car alarm went off mere inches from her, the blaring loud noise startling her out of her thoughts. She leapt into the air, and began careening down the pavement in a nervous frenzy. She knew that she had nothing to do with the car's alarm system going off, but possibility of being blamed for it terrified her regardless. She maintained her momentum as she moved along, hurtling down the sidewalk at a breakneck pace. She continued to race along with reckless abandon, until she reached a crossroads, and came to a sudden, screeching halt. She stood there, breathless and shaken, her heart still dancing erratically. She gazed at the street that stretched out in front of her, a neat, straightforward path that lead directly the place she knew she was supposed to be, her school. But to her left, was the winding path that lead to Malie Garden, the location she'd promised to meet her friends that morning. No matter how many times she cut class, she still found herself hesitant to break the rules, her better judgment constantly nagging at her. Perhaps it was because somewhere within her volatile heart, she valued deference, or decency, or was guided by a good natured obligation to do the right thing, but she was far too disillusioned with herself to genuinely believe in her own benevolence. She recognized that her apprehension was the result of a lowly, primal sense of fear that plagued her feeble mind, leaving her anxious and indecisive. Regardless, she always found herself mulling over all of her potential bad choices, eternally unsure and afraid. Despite her best efforts to convince herself to choose the more reasonable path, each time, she found herself leaning towards the option that made her feel worried, and unsafe. She exhaled deeply, letting out built up tension in a single heavy breath. With no more doubt clouding her mind, she turned to her left, and made her way towards the garden's entrance. She staggered down the cobblestone walkway that lead to the garden's doorway, her body lurching from her unsteady gait.

She passed through the gold and black arch of meticulously detailed wood and stone into the magnificent, serene garden, and began searching for her friends at once. The tranquil atmosphere of the garden seemed to put her at ease, as she began to relax without even realizing it, the beauty of her surroundings calming her tense muscles and pounding nerves. The trees, tinged with the auburn hues of fall swayed gently in the wind, dried leaves whirling through the air. The creek was teaming with water type Pokémon, its reflective surface rippling as it remained in its ever constant state, ebbing and flowing, with only a faint rushing sound to indicate its movement. Along the creekside, small patches of wildflowers grew, resilient against the mild cold of the Alolan autumn. A loud noise pierced the calm silence, causing wild frightened wild Pokémon to scamper in all directions. It was the shrill, yet distinct sound of a human yelling, a noise that she was terribly familiar with.

"Meliora! There you are!"

A gaggle of lanky teenagers bounded over one of Malie garden's many bridges and headed over to her, waving their arms vivaciously in greeting. Meliora instantly recognized these people as her friends, and shot them a feeble smile as they approached her. Aria was the first to reach her, a glimmering grin plastered across her face as she grabbed Meliora's arm, and the others followed suit, but not with the same enthusiasm as Aria.

"Hi Meliora! We're glad you could make it!" 

Aria chimed, her face beaming.

"We thought you'd bail on us again."

Landon chided.

"What took ya?"

Colby inquired.

"You know how it is with my parents. They can be touchy sometimes."

She responded. It was technically a lie, but she really didn't want to tell them she'd spent ten minutes standing at the crossroads staring off into space as she contemplated whether she should ditch school or ditch them. She knew they'd tease her for her indecisiveness, so she gave the usual excuse for her tardiness in order to avoid explaining. "Whatever. All that matters is that you got your ass over here."

Geoffrey grumbled.

"Alrighty! Now that we're all here, let's go have some fun!"

Aria exclaimed. The group headed towards the back of the garden, and began loitering against the southernmost wall as they began their rebellious activities. Geoffrey opened up his bag, revealing several bottles of vodka, a few packs of cigarettes, and a boom box.

"Sweet!"

Aria exclaimed, grabbing herself a pack of cigarettes eagerly.

"How'd you get your hands on all this good shit?"

Colby asked, shooting Geoffrey a devilish grin. 

"I have connections, as I'm sure you're aware."

He replied, matching his friend's smug expression.

"Help yourselves to a few drinks while I get the boom box set up. I have some killer tunes set up for us to listen to, so let's all have some fun!"

Colby and Landon cracked open the drinks without hesitation, immediately ready to down as much alcohol as they could possibly consume, but Meliora was far more hesitant her peers. 

"Are you sure this is a g-good idea?" 

She stammered. 

"I mean, drinking underage, in broad daylight? Don't you think we might get in trouble?"

Landon and Colby both burst out laughing, which made her feel rather stupid. 

"Good Arceus, you are so fucking paranoid, Meliora. All you ever do is worry."

Landon cajoled.

"Yeah, quit being such a buzzkill"

Colby teased, shoving a bottle of vodka in her hands. 

"Drink up." 

Meliora put the opening of the bottle to her lips, wrinkling her nose at the foul odor of the bitter beverage. 

"C'mon, you guys know I don't like vodka." 

She faltered, her hands shaking as she tried to hand the bottle back over to Colby.

"Yeah, that's because you only drink girly fruity drinks. You should try drinking some real shit and actually enjoy yourself for once in your life." 

He responded, pushing the bottle back towards her. 

"Yeah man, live a little!" 

Landon jested, taking a swig from his bottle.

"M-maybe later."

She sputtered, her voice trembling.

"Ugh, you're no fun at all." 

Colby groaned, abruptly snatching it from her hands.

"Honestly, why do we even invite you places if you're just gonna be a huge stick in the mud?"

Landon quipped, his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. Meliora was relieved, even though she knew her friends would give her a hard time about her resistance. It's not that she didn't mind drinking, but the mere implication of the potential consequences of getting caught sent shivers down her spine. Upon noticing Meliora's downcast expression, Aria perked up, shooting Landon and Colby a scathing look and belittling them for their teasing.

"Give her a break, if she doesn't have any, there'll be more for us." 

Aria scolded, exhaling cigarette smoke as she spoke. 

"Ugh, whatever. We all know Meliora's not much better when she's drunk anyways."

Colby muttered. 

"Yeah, it's like she's even more spacey then usual. Such a dead weight at parties."

Landon agreed.

"Maybe she's just scared she'll get sick from half a shot again." 

Colby scoffed, taking a quick sip from his bottle as he did so.

"Come on guys, that was only once..."

Meliora's voice trailed off when she realized they weren't listening, as they were to caught up in mocking her to acknowledge her halfhearted protest. 

"Honestly... we had to take her home at like, eight o'clock because she was puking her guts out. Totally ruined the party for me."

They all laughed, but Meliora's laughter was tight, and uncomfortable. She hoped they didn't notice. The sudden sound of loudly blaring music caught their attention, and they turned towards Geoffrey, who had finally gotten the boom box to work. 

"

Hey, it's working now! I did it! Now, let's have ourselves some real fun!"

Geoffrey extolled, grabbing a bottle of vodka and chugging it down without even flinching. Aria lackadaisically put her cigarette out against the wall, and dropped it on the ground, still smoldering, and reached into the bag for her own bottle. Meliora watched with empty eyes as they socialized, all partaking in some conversation she didn't want to interrupt. She wandered over to the flowing stream, crouching at its shoreline to see if she could spot any wild Pokémon. She peered into the clear, shimmering water only to be greeted with her own reflection, which she found to be rather disappointing. Her expression was sullen, her teal eyes vacant and bleary as she glared at her own freckle spattered face in dismay. She began to absentmindedly comb her fingers through her untidy locks, her hands getting caught on caramel and honey knots of unkempt hair. A sudden disturbance of the water's surface grabbed her attention, so she leaned in closer to try to get a better look at what had caused it. To her surprise and delight, she was caught a glimpse an elegant Goldeen swimming ever so gracefully upstream, impervious to the water's powerful current. Its glittering scales shone white as ivory in the light of the morning sun, complemented by the splotches of scarlet that decorated its head and fins. With careful, deliberate footsteps, she crept along the shoreline, following the magnificent Pokemon as it made its way upstream. It's delicate beauty had rendered her completely awestruck, mouth agape as she watched it disappear beneath a bridge. She was so enamored in her observation that she failed to register the quiet footsteps of a mischievous individual behind her, who then proceeded to startle her out of her wits with a booming yell. She yelped, and whirled around, only to have her waist grabbed aggressively. Her yelp faltered off into a petrified squeal, flinching away from her assailant. She flinched at the sound of mocking laughter, and opened her eyes to see Colby squeezing her waist with his sweaty palms. The rest of her friends surrounded him, and they were all giggling maliciously.

“That was too good!”

Landon wheezed, breathless with laughter.

“You are so jumpy, I swear to Arceus.”

“Yeah, whatcha so afraid of?”

Aria chuckled. Meliora backed away from them, laughing nervously. 

“I’m not afraid of anything in particular. I guess I’m just a bit of a coward.”

Her friends all continued cackling uproariously. Meliora gulped. Meliora spent the rest of the day passive and unengaged, uneasiness twisting in her gut as she watched her friends drink and dance. She glanced at the garden’s entrance every couple of minutes, nervously checking for any adults or authority figures that might get them in trouble. Even as they left, she was consumed by an anxiousness that she couldn’t quite place, gnawing at her psyche in every waking moment. Her friends didn’t bother to ask why she was being so distant, as simply put, they didn’t really care. They were too wrapped up in their own heads to pay attention to Meliora’s mental dilemma. The only one who even noticed was Aria, who bid her goodbye with a cigarette and a concerned smile as they dropped her off at her house. Her entire body rigid with fear, she stepped towards her house, cigarette enclosed in her palm. She shoved it in her pocket as she stepped inside, and attempted to slowly creep up to her room. Unfortunately, one of the floorboards creaked under her weight, and the noise echoed through the house. Then came the yelling. Damnit.

“Meliora!?”

She swallowed, nervously fidgeting as she heard her mother approach.

“It’s an hour past curfew! Where have you been?”

Meliora flinched violently.

“Um, I was just w-with some friends is all.”

Her mother folded her arms, bitterness behind her silver eyes.

“Busy goofing around no doubt. It’s a shame you don’t take up any extracurriculars. All you do is waste your time.”

Meliora bit her lip. She’d wanted to join the photo journaling club, but her parents had refused to let her join. They said it taught her no marketable skills, so it was therefore useless. She wished she could convince them to see otherwise.

“I’m sorry mother...”

She murmured, gaze downcast.

“You should be.”

Meliora clenched her fists. 

“Your father and I will need to decide on a punishment. We won’t tolerate this kind of behavior.”

A whimper caught in Meliora’s throat, but she forced herself to remain quiet. 

“Yes mother.”

She growled, speaking through clenched teeth. She hated having to repress her emotions around her parents. She felt as if she was going to boil over and explode, her body practically shaking from the tension. 

“Look me in the eyes when I speak to you.” 

Meliora wanted to scream. Instead, she lifted her head, meeting her mothers enraged gaze. 

“Henry! Come here!”

She called, her expression not wavering as she spoke.

“What is it, Eleanor?”

“Meliora is out of sorts. Her disobedience requires disciplinary measures.” 

Her father appeared, looking somewhat tired and ragged. Her graying brown hair was uncombed, and he was dressed in an only an half buttoned dress shirt and slacks. His brows furrowed in frustration as soon as he saw her.

“Again Meliora? How many times do we have to tell you? You live in our house, you obey our rules.” 

Meliora bit back a protest, gritting her teeth with anger.

“I think it’s best that we ban her from going out with her friends for a week. Maybe that will teach you not to stay out too long.” 

Meliora released all tension in her body with an irritated sigh, resigning herself to her parents strict punishment.

“Okay...”

She groaned softly.

“What was that? Don’t speak under your breath. It’s disrespectful.”

Meliora’s anger spiked.

“Leave me alone!”

She yelled, upon realizing her grave mistake, she turned and dashed up to her room. She slammed the door behind her, locking it quickly. She flopped down onto her bed and shrieked into her pillow, muffling the sound in the soft fabric. She heard her parents shouting from downstairs, but she didn’t care. She drew the covers over her, and waited silently until nightfall. That was when her parents went to bed. As soon as her room became shrouded in darkness, she stepped into her closet and changed into her pajamas. Just an old worn t-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts. Nothing too fancy. Exhaling wistfully, she padded over to the windowsill, opening the curtains and drawing the blinds. Sliding carefully, her window came open with a pop, and she stuck her head outside. She closed her eyes, taking in the ambient noise of Kricketune chirping and wild Pokémon scuttling about. She grabbed the cigarette from the pockets of her shorts, and found a lighter on the shelf near the window. She lit the cigarette, wincing at the unpleasant smell that filled her room. She inhaled the smoke, and immediately began coughing as soon as it reached her lungs. She was never much of a smoker anyways. She snuffed the cigarette out, and hid the remnants of it underneath her bed. Her parents would kill her if they found out. Feeling sleepy, she grabbed her journal and a ballpoint pen, and began to scribble down a short paragraph about what had happened today. She made certain that she wrote in her journal every night before she went to sleep, as she wanted to commemorate each day like it was special. Once she was finished, she flipped through the pages of her notebook, smiling faintly at the hard work she’d put into it. It was filled with cute little doodles, hastily shot Polaroid pictures, and gorgeous pressed flowers, and every word was written in her nicest handwriting. She had kept many journals throughout the years, but this was probably her favorite one yet. She pressed the book close to her chest, curling herself around it as she went to go to sleep. Despite herself, she felt completely at peace as she drifted off, lulled to sleep by the sound of her own breathing.


End file.
